Gov. DeSantis signs into law bill to speed up recounts

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News Talk Florida
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law this weekend that allows local elections officials across the state to use a secondary system to speed up recounts and verify the accuracy of results.

The governor approved the voting systems measure to employ a statewide network used for recounts. It was one of 15 bills DeSantis signed into law Saturday.

FILE- In this Nov. 16, 2018, file photo workers at the Broward County Supervisor of Elections office show Republican and Democrat observers ballots during a hand recount in Lauderhill, Fla. As Florida’s elections supervisors meet for the first time since the Nov. 6 election, they say that despite some recent problems, the majority of the counties handled things smoothly.. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

The law gives the supervisors of elections in the state’s 67 counties the option of employing auditing systems that are separate from the machines and software used for the initial ballot counts.

Critics urged him to veto the bill, saying they were concerned about the possibility of tampering because only one vendor is currently eligible to supply the machines and software.

They also maintained the new system can be risky because it relies on digital images of the original paper ballots.